Tag: Abdul Carter

Start time for 2023 Blue-White Game announced

Penn State has announced the start time for this year’s Blue-White spring game.

We already knew what day the Penn State Blue-White Game was going to be played. Now we know the scheduled start time.

On Tuesday, Penn State announced the official start time for this year’s spring game, the highlight of the weekend in State College. Penn State’s annual Blue-White Game will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 15.

It is unconfirmed at this point in time if the game will be available for viewing on the Big Ten Network or any other network, but that information will be made available at a later time.

Penn State will head into the 2023 Blue-White Game with a rising sense of optimism surrounding the team after an 11-2 season with a victory in the Rose Bowl to cap things off. Penn State finished at no. 7 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, and the Nittany Lions are a trendy top 10 pick already in the various way-too-early top 25 projections for next season.

Penn State will return some key pieces on defense with the returns of [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] to go with the rising stardom of players like [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. The offense will continue to build confidence in the running game with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] leading the way behind an offensive line that will return [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] and introduce some new stars in the Class of 2023 with [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag]. And, of course, this spring will see [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] step into the leading role at quarterback as the successor to Sean Clifford, who leaves Penn State after rewriting the school’s record book for the past six years.

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Curtis Jacobs announces return to Penn State in 2023

Curtis Jacobs returning to Penn State in 2023 gives Nittnay Lions solid combo at LB

Penn State’s linebacker situation looks more and more promising as the days of this offseason go by. On Tuesday, [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] announced his return to the Nittany Lions in 2023, giving Penn State as solid a combo at linebacker it has had in years to look forward to.

Jacobs posted a brief statement with an image on his Twitter account on Tuesday confirming his decision for his status in 2023.

“I’m back,” the statement read. “I will return to Penn State for the 2023 season.”

And with that, Penn State now has the makings for one of the top linebacking pairs in the Big Ten.

Jacobs recorded 52 tackles last season, including 29 solo tackles, and recorded 7.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Jacobs also scored a defensive touchdown and forced a fumble.

Pairing Jacobs with the rising star in [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], who is coming off a terrific freshman season, will give Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz some good reason to feel comfortable about the linebacker position. Carter and Jacobs were two of Penn State’s top three leaders in tacklers (Ji’Ayir Brown led the team but is officially on his way to the NFL).

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Beau Pribula joins NIL partnership with Tesla perk

Penn State QB gets to drive a Tesla in new NIL partnership

In December, four Penn State players signed on for an NIL partnership with a York-based construction company. The big perk of the deal was getting the keys to a Tesla with the company’s name branded on the side. Now, backup quarterback [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] has joined the NIL partnership.

The NIL partnership is with Inch & Co., a construction company based out of York, PA. The deal is good for one year, where Pribula will get to drive around State College advertising Inch & Co. in a Tesla. Not bad!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnK7dFVOyt0/

Last month, Inch & Co. signed on four Penn State players for the same one-year partnership. Those four players were [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag].

It sure seems like this construction company hit on some big names for Penn State heading into 2023. Fashanu surprised many by deciding to return for another season to play on the offensive line. Allar is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback, with Pribula backing him up. King continues to prove to be one of the top defensive players on the roster after his second complete season, and Carter has quickly made an impact living up to the Linebacker-U standard.

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247Sports’ way-too-early top 25 for 2023 predicts big year for Penn State

The hype is already mounting for Penn State football in 2023 with the 247Sports way-too-early top 25.

The final chapter in the 2022 college football season will be written Monday night with Georgia and TCU squaring off in this season’s College Football Playoff national championship. And that means it’s time to dive headfirst into the way-too-early top 25 rankings from various media outlets as we quickly look ahead to the 2023 season. And after winning 11 games with a victory in the Rose Bowl, the bar has officially been raised for Penn State next fall.

247Sports released its version of the way-too-early top 25 for the 2023 season, and it predicts Penn State will be right in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Penn State comes in just on the outside looking in on the playoff field, however, with a way-too-early ranking of no. 5.

“On paper, this looks like it could be [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s most talented team in Happy Valley and is the first of three Big Ten squads inside our way-too-early top 5,” 247Sports suggests.

Yes, despite the lofty placement in the rankings organized by the staff at 247Sports, Penn State still comes in just behind the same two teams that stood in front of it in 2022, Ohio State and Michigan. The Buckeyes are no. 4 and the Wolverines are no. 3 in the 247Sports way-too-early top 25. The only other teams at the top of the poll are Alabama (no. 2) and Georgia (no. 1).

There is a lot to like about what Penn State could potentially do next season. With a good mix of rising star players on both sides of the football like running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], Penn State already has playmakers in place on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And it will be bringing back some key players opting for another season including offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag].

And then there is the successor to Sean Clifford at quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. Allar is being widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks ever to be recruited by Penn State, and scouts and analysts are equally excited to see Allar be the guy for the Penn State offense moving forward.

Penn State’s schedule is also a bit favorable as they will have to play at Ohio State but will get Michigan at home. The 2023 season begins with a home game against West Virginia on Sept. 2.

It will all be here before you know it, and it could be a fun season.

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An early look at Penn State football’s 2023 schedule

A way-too-early look at Penn State’s 2023 football schedule

Coming off the biggest season since winning the Big Ten in 2016, Penn State looks to ride the wave of momentum that comes with winning a Rose Bowl.

After six years on campus, [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] heads for the NFL while leaving behind a potent offense that presumed starter [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] takes over. All eyes will be on him as well as star running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and playmaking linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter.[/autotag]

Both players already are posed to be leaders for a 2023 Penn State team with high expectations. A Big Ten title will be expected, a New Year’s Day bowl game will be expected, and eventually a national championship.

The journey to all of that starts in 2023 so what better time than now to look ahead to the 2023 schedule for coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions?

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Rose Bowl win

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Rose Bowl, and there are plenty of high marks to share!

There have been easy report cards to make this year in what turned into an impressive year for the Nittany Lions but this was easily the most complete performance this team had all year.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff pulled out all the tricks in their book while having a game plan that was designed to be consistent on offense and to bend but not break on defense.

This is your final Penn State football report card of the 2022 season.

Quarterback

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A+

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] played the game of his life and is going out as tied for the winningest quarterback in school history. He made a ton of big throws that he hadn’t made all year. So much so that the Utah defense couldn’t stack the box against the Penn State running game which ended up making the difference. Congrats on a perfect game and an amazing career Sean Clifford.

NEXT: Running backs

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Instant Reaction: Penn State wins the Rose Bowl!

Penn State wins the Rose Bowl! Defense shuts things down after halftime of 35-21 win over Utah.

After witnessing the Big Ten lose four consecutive bowl games leading up to the Rose Bowl, Penn State ended its season on a winning note and snapped the Big Ten bowl losing streak in a big way. Penn State took full control of Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl on Monday and celebrated a 35-21 victory in Pasadena.

After the teams played to a 14-14 tie in the first half, Penn State got the scoring started in a big way with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] rushing 87 yards early in the third quarter on a third down and short. Just seconds into the fourth quarter, once again facing a third down deep in their own end, Clifford connected with [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] for an 88-yard touchdown pass to extend the Penn State lead to 28-14. Almost four minutes later, [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] punched one in from the goal line to push the Penn State lead to 35-14.

In fairness, the game took a huge swing in Penn State’s favor early in the third quarter when Utah starting quarterback Cam Rising left the game with an apparent leg injury. Bryson Barnes came in to lead the Utah offense but Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] brought the heat and the defense took control of the game almost immediately. [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] picked off a deep pass by Bryson shortly after Utah was forced to go with the backup, and the Utes offense never regained much momentum.

Penn State closes out the season with a record of 11-2, with the only losses coming to two Big Ten teams that participated in the College Football Playoff, Michigan and Ohio State. The roster will see some roster turnover with players heading off to the NFL and another solid recruiting class coming in, and the outlook for 2023 already looks promising with the continued development of some key players from the 2022 season including Singleton, Allen and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. And, of course, the potential for expected starting quarterback Drew Allar will lead to some promise in the fall.

This is the third New Years Six bowl victory for Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]. Franklin previously coached Penn State to victories in the Fiesta Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. This is Penn State’s second Rose Bowl victory in program history, joining the 1994 team’s victory in the 1995 Rose Bowl.

Penn State’s spring game will be played on April 15, 2023 and the countdown to the start of the 2023 season is already underway. Penn State will open the 2023 season at home against West Virginia on Saturday, September 2, 2023.

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Social buzz leading up to the Rose Bowl

Twitter is buzzing about the Rose Bowl leading up to the showdown between Penn State and Utah.

Penn State will finish off its season today in Pasadena when the Nittany Lions take on Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl. Both teams saw a limited amount of opt-outs and were able to retain plenty of key players for this game.

Utah will be in its second consecutive Rose Bowl this year, after losing 48-45 to Ohio State in 2022.

This will also be Sean Clifford’s last collegiate game as a Nittany Lion. The emotions are high and the sixth-year quarterback hopes to finish his Penn State career on a high note.

The Nittany Lions had plenty of young stars play this season, including running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] on offense. On defense, they had [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag].

We have spent all of the regular season taking a closer look at what people are saying about every Penn State game this season. So, what are they saying about the Rose Bowl? Let’s take a closer look.

Scouting Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Rose Bowl opponent

Let’s grade Utah’s 2022 season before Penn State faces them in the Rose Bowl.

Getting report cards on Penn State has been a common place for us all season, but this weekend for the Rose Bowl we are doing a different twist on things.

Utah is a team that is not often familiar to Big Ten teams and fanbases. The last memory they have of them is a Rose Bowl defeat last year where Ohio State tore them up through the air. Utah will have revenge on its mind while Penn State will be looking to end a strong season on an even better note.

Get to know this Utah team before things kickoff!

Quarterback

Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B

Utah quarterback Cam Rising is not projected to be a great or even average NFL quarterback but that doesn’t mean he isn’t perfect for Utah and its offense. He doesn’t turn the ball over, and he makes plays when he needs to but we haven’t seen him without Dalton Kincaid. He will have to find a new favorite target and if he can then things can be interesting.

NEXT: Running backs

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5 reasons why Penn State will beat Utah

Here are the top five reasons why Penn State will beat Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Penn State hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since the 1994 season. To put that in perspective for you, I was just three months old at the time.

I grew up with Penn State winning the Orange Bowl with [autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag] as quarterback. I also remember them winning the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl and never got to see a Rose Bowl win. I instead always remember Michigan and Ohio State playing in it.

For this generation of Penn State fans, this game is important. For this senior class, especially it means something different.

They endured the highs and lows of a regular college career but they have the added stress of COVID-19 and nearly losing [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] to USC. This game means a lot to a lot of people in this program and that motivation I think is an extra reason why they can win this game.